Gary Larson’s iconic comic stripThe Far Sideran from 1980 to 1994, publishing over 4000 comics starring bizarro cows, murderous ducks, and clueless cavemen. Unfortunately, all good things must end, and Larson’s series concluded its syndication with ten final comics that feature many ofThe Far Side’s best recurring ideas and subjects.
Here, in chronological order, are the ten finalFar Sidecomics of its original run. While Larson published later comics for special collections andafter coming out of retirement, these are the final comics of the franchise’s 14-year syndicated run.Make sure to vote in our end-of-article poll for your favoriteFar Sidecomic from Gary Larson’s final ten instalments.
10Chicken Up!
Far Side’s December 20 Comic from 1994
While it dabbles with pop culture gags and childish scientists,The Far Side’s true love has always been the natural world- to the extent that Larson originallywanted to call the stripNature’s Way, but was turned down by editors. One of Larson’s favorite gags is to put animals in human situations while leaving their bestial instincts intact, and that’s the case in this alligator diner where, despite gingham tablecloths and a white-hatted chef, the predators are still just savaging live animals.
Larson is far from the only cartoonist whose strip was retitled. Charles Schulz’s iconicPeanutswas meant to be calledLi’l Folks, while Jim Davis’Garfieldcomic was originally published asJon, before he realized that his sarcastic feline character was the real star.
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9Motive and Opportunity
Far Side’s December 21 Comic from 1994
The enmity between dogs and cats is another famous subject for Larson, andThe Far Sidefinishes out its run by finally having a murderous dog pay the price for its crimes(likely because while trying to steamroll the family cat, he also got its owner.)
It’s surprising that Larson kept up his ‘cat vs dog’ theme to the very end ofThe Far Side, given how controversial one entry in this pattern originally was.Larson’s ‘Tethercat’ comic received numerous complaints, to the point that it seemed the strip might be in jeopardy.
Thankfully, whenever a newspaper chose to dropThe Far Side, fans could be trusted to demand its return. In an interviewThe New York Times,Larson notes that,“I’ll forever be grateful to fans, who in those early days rescued “The Far Side” from cancelation, or campaigned to get it reinstated.”
8Reserved
Far Side’s December 22 Comic from 1994
Given how oftenThe Far Sideadopts the animal viewpoint, it’s no surprise that Larson often depicts hunters being defeated by their intended prey. In this case, a wannabe deer hunter is stymied when he realizes that the buck he was planning to shoot has been officially reserved by someone else.
This isn’tquiteLarson’s funniest hunter comic - that prize has to go to either the ‘hostage’ swap comic where hunters and deer trade prisoners,or the strip where a buck hides behind a tree, desperately trying to figure out why anyone would be shooting at him.
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7Pants
Far Side’s December 23 Comic from 1994
The Far Sidemaintained an incredibly high bar of quality from the very beginning to the very end, but they can’t all be the gold standard. This goofy strip sees an anthropomorphic dress singing a clothing-based rendition of Adriana Caselotti’s ‘Someday My Prince Will Come,’ from Disney’sSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs. While it’s not exactly a laugh riot, it does honor Larson’s longtime habit of mocking Disney movies whenever the chance arose. Various strips fromFar Side’s run make fun ofBambi,Dumbo,Peter Panand -one of Larson’s favorite subjects for parody -Pinocchio.
For some reason, Larson picked out the Little Wooden Boy for extra abuse, having him eaten by beavers, pecked by woodpeckers, and used as a scratching post by cats.Larson had a great instinct for what pop culture moments and characters were truly timeless, explaining why he so often took shots at Disney. Perhaps the only pop culture subject he loved to mock more thanPinocchiowasThe Wizard of Oz… of which more later.
6Kidnapped Clown
Far Side’s December 26 Comic from 1994
Gary Larson had time for one last clown gag inThe Far Side’s final ten entries,producing probably the best of the lot (although when we asked Screen Rant readers tovote on Larson’s funniest clown comic, it only made third place.) In the strip, gangsters accost a clown, threatening to literally wipe the greasepaint smile from his face.
Clowns tend to have bad luck in Larson’s comics, with their combination of comedy and tragedy perfectly suiting his sense of humor.
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5Decoy
Far Side’s December 27 Comic from 1994
It’s common in the world ofThe Far Sideto see animals complaining about their lot in life,and here a duck has been shot after being tempted into range by a wooden decoy. Larson imagines the duck’s wife asking why he was swimming up to another duck in the first place, turning this hunting story into one of infidelity.
As unfortunate as this duck may be, it’s a change to see waterfowl lose in Larson’s world. Strangely,he often depicts ducks as particularly diabolical antagonists to innocent humans- mostly because it’s funny to imagine a duck posing any danger to a human.
Larson’s most iconic duck comicis the one that introduced the world to ‘anatidaephobia,’ aka"the fear that somewhere, somehow, a duck is watching you.“In the pre-internet days, this strip was harder to put together than most readers would assume.In the Complete History of The Far Side,Larson’s editor Jake Morrissey recalls calling up various librarians to check the spellings on Larson’s extensive vocabulary and made-up words, stating:
I spent hours on the telephone over the years asking experts and librarians to give me the correct spellings of the strange words that popped up in The Far Side. I did not usually tell them why I was calling. I did once, but I flustered a librarian at the Kansas City Public Library so much that she told me to hang up and call the reference desk again. “I can’t help someone I don’t understand,” she said, sounding a trifle panicked at the mere thought of The Far Side.
4Mime Rifle
Far Side’s December 28 Comic from 1994
In this strip, a couple of buffalo hunters encounter far more desirable prey - a wild mime.Mimes have a particularly hard time in the world ofThe Far Side, where Larson seems to consider them the lowest of the low (just one rung above accordion players.)
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3Futon
Far Side’s December 29 Comic from 1994
Larson’s love of animals returns in this strip that sees two jealous apes observe a rival who has managed to get ahold of a futon for his nest.Larson often features primates inThe Far Side, perhaps since they already exist so close to the human/animal line. However, one ape strip got him in hot water. The comic in question features an ape husband and wife in a tree, with the wife discovering a blonde hair that she attributes to"that Jane Goodall tramp.”
Goodall is a famed primatologist who spent decades observing chimpanzees in their natural habitat.Sadly, her foundation didn’t find the gag funny, penning an angry letter when the strip saw publication. Published in variousFar Sidecollections, the letter reads:
To refer to Dr. Goodall as a tramp is inexcusable … The cartoon was incredibly offensive and in such poor taste that readers might well question the editorial judgment of running such an atrocity in a newspaper that reputes to be supplying the news to persons with a better than average intelligence. The cartoon and its message were absolutely stupid.
However, it eventually turned outGoodall had a very different view. When the comic was brought to her personal attention,she not only found it funny but struck up a friendship with Lartson. Goodall later wrote the foreword forThe Far Side Gallery 5and even invited Larson to visit her research center in Tanzania. For his part, Larson helped fundraise for Goodall’s charitable work, including selling objects emblazoned with the ‘offensive’ comic.
2Noah
Far Side’s December 30 Comic from 1994
Larson rounds out one of his oldest themes with this strip,where Noah attempts to scam the animals on his arc.The Far Side’s fourth-ever published comic (in May 1980) showed Noah building an ‘arch’ after seemingly mishearing God’s command, and Larson referenced the Biblical character numerous times overThe Far Side’s run, generally as a hapless man given a near-impossible job (hence why the world no longer has unicorns.)
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1The Final Strip
Far Side’s January 1 Comic from 1995
Gary Larson’s finalFar Sidestrip is rightly considered one of his best, even though it breaks the ‘single panel’ rule that characterized his work. In a parody ofThe Wizard of Oz,Larson himself wakes up from the world ofFar Side, only to reveal that all his strips were based on his bizarre family members in the real world.
Larson often usedWizard of Ozin his strip, andthe fourth wall-breaking geniusofrevealing the entire project had been a dream was the perfect way to end a franchise that- while always offering up something different - had accrued a lot of familiar elements that fans wanted to see one last time.
Those are the last ten comics fromThe Far Side’s original run… but which are the funniest? Vote below in our poll for the best ofThe Far Side’s final ten comics, and let us know which part of Gary Larson’s victory lap you enjoyed most.
Key Background
The Far Side
The Far Side is a humorous comic series developed by Gary Larson. The series has been in production since 1979 and features a wide array of comic collections, calendars, art, and other miscellaneous items.
